Public hearing on proposals today

1:38 AM,
Feb. 19, 2014

Mike Jones, R-Andalusia, on Tuesday at the Alabama State House in Montgomery.

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House legislators are holding public hearings today about four bills backed by the Alabama Pro-Life Coalition, including one that would ban abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy.

The most controversial of the bills would make it a felony if a doctor performs an abortion after the fetus' heartbeat is detected. Exceptions could be made if the pregnancy endangers the woman's life or if the fetus has a lethal anomaly, meaning the child would be stillborn or die shortly after birth.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Mary Sue McClurkin, R-Pelham, also requires that the physician check for a fetal ...